


Taken

by ZoeTakashi



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-09-09
Updated: 2005-09-14
Packaged: 2019-02-05 13:50:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12795903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZoeTakashi/pseuds/ZoeTakashi
Summary: Krycek takes a different path after the events of Sleepless, but it leads to disaster.





	1. Part 1 - The Choice

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Haven, the archivist: This story was originally archived at [Fandom Haven Story Archive (FHSA)](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Fandom_Haven_Story_Archive), was scheduled to shut down at the end of 2016. To preserve the archive, I began working with the OTW to transfer the stories to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in November 2017. If you are this creator and the work hasn't transferred to your AO3 account, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Fandom Haven Story Archive collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/fhsa/profile).

Story Title: Taken

Chapter Title: Part 1, The Choice

Author: Zoë (zoe.t@att.net)

Website: http://lzl.dreamhost.com

Fandom: X-Files

Story Pairing: K/O, M/O, Sk/O, M/K

Chapter Pairing: None

Keywords: Angst, Slash

Rating: NC-17 for m/m sex, language and adult situations

Warning: There are some character recollections of violence and torture later in the series.

Spoilers: Canon through Duane Barry, then I diverge, but there are some parallel references to episodes up through Requiem.

Summary: Krycek takes a different path after the events of Sleepless, but it leads to disaster.

Beta Thanks: Louise Wu

Special Thanks: Louise Wu, my amazing technical advisor on law enforcement. Without her help Part 2 couldn't have been written.

Author Note: More than a year ago Ursula said she wanted to read a fic where Krycek gets abducted instead of Scully. It took me awhile, but here's my take on it. Also, the ultimate pairing in this story is M/K, but it takes a long time to get there.

Dedication: To Ursula... happy birthday! Thanks for inspiring my muses.

 

Disclaimer: Alex Krycek, Fox Mulder, Walter Skinner, Dana Scully and all other X-Files characters belong to Chris Carter and 1013 Productions. No infringement of rights is intended. Jaden MacKay is mine, mine, mine. Don't anyone mess with him.

 

 

Taken, Part 1: The Choice

by Zoë

 

**

 

Tuesday, 9 August 1994

8:46 P.M.

 

A small figure stumbled out of the dark, running awkwardly. Mulder was certain his heart had stopped, then he realized it was Scully, blood spattered, but alive. She was gagged and bound. He met her half way, caught her in his arms. His fingers immediately went to work on the binding around her wrist. The instant her hands were free, she wrenched the gag away.

 

"Christ, Scully. We thought you were gone." 

 

"No!" She paused, panting for breath. "We've got to get help. He's still got Krycek."

 

"What?!"

 

"Krycek... he's still back there!"

 

Mulder pulled out his weapon. "Stay here."

 

"Like hell," Scully barked. "Give me your backup."

 

They didn't have time to argue, so Mulder retrieved the .38 from his ankle holster and passed it to her. "Don't move out of my sight."

 

Scully glared at him for a nanosecond before running back up the hill. Mulder followed, easily overtaking her. The car was empty. A few seconds later they found Duane Barry. He stared into the night sky an expression of glee on his face.

 

There was no sign of Krycek. 

 

"No!" Scully yelled into the darkness.

 

The area was suddenly flooded with lights. Helicopters. The illumination made it clear that Krycek was nowhere near.

 

Mulder grabbed Duane, forcing him roughly onto the ground, not caring if the man had to breathe dirt. He cuffed him roughly then flipped him over. "Where's Krycek!"

 

"Who?"

 

Mulder shook him, banging Duane's head against the ground. "Alex Krycek!"

 

"He's with them." Duane looked back to the sky, as if it explained 'them.' "I wasn't sure they'd take a substitute, but they did! They did! And now I'm not going anywhere!"

 

"Mulder..." He turned to find Scully hunkered down, picking something up with a tissue. He manhandled Barry until they were close enough to see.

 

Krycek's badge. Liberally covered with blood.

 

Keeping hold of Duane Barry, Mulder hauled him toward where Scully was inspecting the back seat of the car. "There's so much blood," she whispered in horror, afraid that Krycek's attempt to save her life had cost him his own.

 

Mulder's grip tightened on Duane as he surveyed the blood-soaked back seat. Something like a lead weight settled in his stomach.

 

Scully forcibly put Barry prone on the ground again while Mulder searched the immediate area. Barry just craned his neck to look at the sky, chanting about how they weren't going to get him.

 

In the car Mulder found another Bureau service weapon. The other they'd found on the ground half way up the hill. Scully identified hers as the one in the car. The other was probably Krycek's.

 

"Agent Mulder?" A man's voice called from a distance.

 

Mulder looked up to find several local law enforcement officers with guns at the ready advancing on their position. Mulder held up both hands. "I'm Mulder. That's Agent Dana Scully."

 

They lowered their weapons and flashlights. "We were called by the park attendant right after you arrived. Are you okay?"

 

"We're okay, though Agent Scully needs medical attention. The man in cuffs is her abductor."

 

One deputy took Barry while another checked Scully for injury. The Sheriff crossed to Mulder. "The FBI is en route. One of their choppers should be here any minute. They'll meet us at the visitor center. I'm sure everyone will be relieved that both of you are okay."

 

Mulder shakes his head. "There was a third agent. Alex Krycek. The Bureau doesn't know Barry had him as well. He's still missing."

 

The Sheriff immediately radioed a request for manhunt support on the mountain. Mulder answered a few more questions then followed Scully to the visitor center. The first priority was to interrogate Barry. But as soon as they walked in the door, they ran smack into AD Skinner, whose relief at Scully's return was tempered by the news that another of his agents was missing.

 

Though both Mulder and Scully wanted to stay with Barry, Skinner dispatched the two agents he'd brought with him to handle the suspect, while he handled the interrogation of the only witnesses.

 

Mulder bounced off the walls, wanting to charge into the dark night and find Krycek. Skinner controlled him with a few terse words and the occasional glare, then turned his attention to Scully. "Are you sure you don't need medical attention before we go over this?"

 

"Sir, I'm fine. I don't think we have time to waste."

 

"Agent Scully, let's start at the beginning. What happened at your house?"

 

 

24 Hours Earlier

 

Scully dropped the groceries on the table without concern.

 

She picked up the phone to call Mulder. // Damn machine. Where was he? //

 

"Mulder, it's me. I just had something incredibly strange happen. This piece of metal that they took out of Duane Barry, it has some kind of a code on it. I ran it through a scanner and some kind of a serial number came up." She paused for a moment. "What the hell is this thing, Mulder? It's almost as if... it's almost as if somebody was using it to catalogue him."

 

A noise outside the window caught her attention. Like an animal in the bushes. Phone in hand, she walked to the window and raised the blinds. Coming face to face with Duane Barry. She screamed when glass shattered around her. "Mulder!"

 

Protecting herself from flying glass is what gave Barry the upper hand. But she fought him until her head cracked against the glass table.

 

Scully knew she was in trouble and frantically searched for an opportunity to get away, but her attempts were in vain. She was dazed and bound and he was much stronger.

 

"Barry!" A vaguely familiar male voice shouted. "Don't you fucking move! Put Agent Scully down. NOW!"

 

Duane Barry had her gun. She needed to warn him... it was too late. She fell to the ground as two shots fired simultaneously. One was near, the other farther away.

 

When Barry hefted her into his arms again, she knew who had won that battle. He stepped over something. She registered a bloody form sprawled on the ground. Alex Krycek. And he appeared to be dead.

 

Krycek. Mulder's partner. Mulder was here. She tried to yell to him around her gag.

 

Effortlessly, Barry gave her a violent shake. "Shut up!" Then he dropped her in the trunk.

 

"No!" Her cry was muted by the gag, and it didn't stop the trunk from closing. Every second felt like an hour as she listened carefully. It seemed to take forever. One door closed, then another. The car was started and Scully stifled a sob. Mulder wasn't coming.

 

Scully struggled against her bonds, but couldn't loosen the rope around her wrists. Christ! If her hands weren't tied, she could get to the trunk release and just roll out. Her struggles intensified, but it was pointless. Eventually, she stilled, trying to think ahead to some way out of this. The only chance she had was to win this with her wits. But the car never stopped, there was no chance to act.

 

Between the head injury, the motion of the car and sheer exhaustion, she dropped off to sleep.

 

The sound of a siren jolted her awake. // Please let that be help. //

 

She could barely make out the murmur of voices, then the quiet was obliterated by the sound of gun shots. The car was back in motion. Someone else was dead, and god only knew where she was headed.

 

The hours crept by. Scully tried to stay alert, hoping for some opportunity to escape, but the car kept moving.

 

A change in terrain caught her attention. She listened carefully, trying to gather any useful information. It sounded and felt like an unpaved road. The path was also uphill and beginning to curve sharply... She realized they were headed up a mountain or a hill. The car stopped, she tensed, waiting. The trunk was opened. Even though it was night, it hurt her eyes, brighter than the interior of the trunk.

 

Scully tried kicking out, but Duane Barry had a solid grip on her and hauled her out of the trunk. Her crucifix caught on something and was torn away. She fought harder. Relentlessly, Barry dragged her up the hill.

 

Something crashed into them. Scully hit the ground hard, her breath knocked out of her. She rolled away from Barry, peripherally aware of a struggle.

 

"Scully! Get out of here!" She registered Krycek's voice. He wasn't dead, but she had no time for relief. "Scully, dammit, get backup!"

 

She staggered to her feet, quickly taking in a deathly looking Krycek wrestling with Barry for the gun. The gun went off, the bullet hitting the ground dangerously close to her. "Fuck, Scully! Go!" Krycek screamed at her.

 

She was still bound and gagged, so she stumbled to the car, hoping to find something to aid in getting her loose. Nothing. It was obvious Krycek was losing. She had to get help. Then Krycek was down, unmoving on the ground, and Barry was looking for her. She took off, hoping to run into someone... anyone. She ran right into Mulder's arms.

 

"That's what happened, sir." Dana Scully drummed her fingers on the tabletop, then glanced up at Assistant Director Skinner.

 

Skinner nodded, no doubt in his mind that Scully had told the complete, unvarnished truth. Question was why did Alex Krycek of all people know to come to her aid? And where was he now?

 

Mulder slapped both palms on the table. "How did Krycek get the upper hand with Barry? Wasn't he restrained in some way?"

 

Scully looked at him askance. "I'm sure Duane Barry thought Krycek was at death's door. Would you bother tying up someone who was slowly dying in the backseat? And I don't know that he got the upper hand. Barry was still firing shots and Krycek was on the ground when I took off." Deep inside she felt a seed of guilt taking root. Though she rationally knew there was no other choice, leaving Krycek behind was something she would always regret.

 

Mulder shook his head in denial. "You don't know that he was seriously injured... you don't know that it's his blood in the backseat."

 

Skinner put up a hand to stop Scully from replying. Then he carefully navigated the complexities of Mulder's odd statements. "Well, Agent Mulder, when forensics is done, we'll know for certain whose blood it is. Until then, we have to assume the injured party was Agent Krycek."

 

Mulder looked less than happy at that pronouncement. "Okay, but if he was at death's door, how did he manage to subdue Barry enough for you to get away?"

 

Scully glared at him. "Mulder, we don't what was going on with Krycek. He could have been unconscious most of the trip. He could have been waiting for an opportunity to act. And we've both seen people at death's door do some amazing things in the interest of survival. What I do know is the man I saw wrestling with Duane Barry was not healthy." She paused considering Mulder's apparent suspicion of Krycek. "What are you stewing about?"

 

A.D. Skinner gestured to Scully to allow him to handle it. He took a deep breath, then glared at Mulder. "Agent, it sounds like you're making a backhanded accusation. Are you implying that Agent Krycek was in some way responsible for, or complicit in this situation?"

 

Mulder's entire body drooped and he let himself sink into a chair. Scrubbing his hands over his face, he muttered, "No. I think I am." He looked up into two twin expressions of shock.

 

In measured tones, Skinner said, "Would you care to illuminate that statement, *Agent* Mulder?"

 

 

Two Days Earlier

Monday, 7 August 1994

11:30 P.M.

 

Mulder flagged down the bartender and requested another beer. A beer appeared in front of him, but not from the bartender. His eyes followed the hand up to a strong wrist, muscled forearm, rolled-up sleeve, broad shoulder, smooth jaw, delicate nose, beautiful green eyes. Mulder sighed. "What is it, Alex?"

 

Krycek released his hold on the beer, pushed it in front of Mulder. "I need to talk to you."

 

Thinking again about sending Duane Barry to lock the door, Mulder took a long swallow before replying. "It's been a long night, Alex. Some other time."

 

"Mulder, this is too important to wait."

 

"Fine. Spill it."

 

"It wasn't chance that I was assigned to you." Alex watched Mulder carefully, waiting for the explosion.

 

Mulder considered getting irate, but it seemed like a gargantuan effort at the moment. Besides, it wasn't really a surprise. "And?"

 

"And? I, uh, it doesn't bother you?"

 

"Of course it does. But it's not a surprise. How do you think Scully and I got to be partners? They're always sending someone in to spy on me." Mulder took a swig off the beer. "So who's keeping tabs this time? The Director? Surely not Skinner."

 

Krycek frowned. "I don't actually know his name, but he's around all the time. From the Pentagon. The older guy who chain-smokes-"

 

"What?!" Mulder slammed his beer down, causing foam to spurt out the top. "What have you been telling that black-lunged bastard?"

 

Alex took a few cautionary steps backward, putting a couple of barstools between them. "Nothing they didn't already suspect. Look, he told me you were a loose cannon, completely off the reservation. Enough of a risk that you could do serious damage to the Bureau. So I agreed to this assignment. Because... because I care about this job. It's the only thing I've ever wanted to do."

 

"Oh, spare me your boy scout idealism."

 

"Fuck you, Mulder. It's not like you didn't create this situation."

 

"Is that what you came here to say, *Alex*?"

 

"No. It's not. For whatever it's worth, I believe they lied to me. About you and about what they wanted from me."

 

"Yeah. Whatever, Agent Krycek," Mulder said to his beer. "Talking down Duane Barry was enough for me for one day... just go away."

 

"Fine. I'll leave. But not before I tell you what I came here to say. So if you want me out of your hair, just shut up and listen." Mulder's glare was all the cue Alex needed to finish. "I went into this believing what they told me. The problem is you didn't turn out to be what they said. You haven't been wrong about anything that I can see. In fact, I believe you. But if they lied about one thing, what else are they lying about? If they're not truly trying to protect the Bureau, what *are* they trying to do? And why are they so interested in every word you say to Agent Scully?"

 

And that nearly got Alex punched in the face if he hadn't seen it coming. "You leave Scully out of this!"

 

"I'm not the one who brought her into it. *You* are. You're the one who couldn't leave her alone."

 

"Scully has nothing to do with anything. So, why don't we just put this show on hold 'til tomorrow? We can finish this drama in Skinner's office and see if you have a job left at the end of the day."

 

Alex gave up. "You do whatever you feel you have to, Mulder. So will I."

 

Skinner stared at the table, cautiously choosing his words. "I don't recall getting a visit from you yesterday."

 

Mulder looked up, guilt etched into the lines of his face. "So much happened with the Barry case. Krycek didn't even show up for work today. I-I thought it could wait a day."

 

Before Skinner could reply, Scully interjected. "There's nothing to say that it would have changed anything. Let's just focus on finding him." However, her eyes told Mulder this wasn't over yet.

 

Skinner's glare told Scully to back off. But the chirp of Skinner's cell interrupted whatever went along with that glare. "Skinner. ... Yes. ... Well, that's not much of a surprise to anyone in this room. ... Never mind. What else? ... That actually does make sense. ... No, I'll explain to HRT directly. ... The new samples are en route. Blood evidence is top priority this go 'round. ... Check it against Alex Krycek before you run it through the database. I have a feeling it will save some time. ... Exactly. After blood evidence, anything they turn up at Krycek's apartment is priority number two." With an air of aggravation, Skinner disconnected the call.

 

"Well," Scully prompted impatiently.

 

"That was forensics. The blood found outside Scully's wasn't a match for Scully or Barry, so they ran it through the database and came up with Alex Krycek." Skinner contemplated the back of his hand for a moment.

 

"They're just finding this now?" Scully asked with incredulity.

 

"Blood evidence was a lower priority because we had no idea there was a second victim. Although had I been aware of Agent Krycek's conversation with Agent Mulder, and that he was MIA, we might have taken note sooner of the second piece of news from forensics... that Agent Krycek's Bureau car has been parked near Scully's house since yesterday afternoon. It wasn't noticed sooner because there were a lot of Bureau issue cars in the area." Skinner gave up his new contemplation of his tie. "One more question, Mulder. When Scully was abducted, why didn't you then mention your conversation with Agent Krycek?"

 

Looking tired, Mulder only managed a weak shrug. "I didn't think it was related." Mulder frowned in contemplation. "Is it related? Alex was watching Scully because he was concerned about something related to the Bureau, but what does that have to do with Duane Barry? And why aren't we asking *Duane Barry*?"

 

"Barry is being interrogated as we speak, Agent. And you're correct, we don't know they're related. But we also don't know that they're not. You withheld potentially vital information after your former partner was abducted and now your present partner is gone. This doesn't-"

 

"Sir," Scully interjected, "isn't this all academic at the moment? Why aren't we out there looking? We need to find him." She broke off abruptly. "He saved my life."

 

"I'm aware of that Agent Scully," Skinner stated coolly. "We have a lot of people out in the dark looking for him."

 

Before Scully could respond, Mulder interjected, "Sir, they're not going to find him that way. Scully and I should be heading this investigation."

 

"No, Agent Mulder!" Skinner barked, "Agent Scully's next stop is an Emergency Room, and you still have some questions to answer."

 

An uproar from the hallway drew Skinner out of the room, but not before ordering Mulder and Scully to stay put. Mulder and Scully shared the few minutes Skinner was gone in silence. When Skinner returned his expression was grim. "Duane Barry is dead. We don't know how. He started to choke and was dead in seconds.

 

Scully suddenly felt the weight of the past days' events. With Barry dead, their chances of finding out what happened to Krycek were gone. Feeling the tears coming, she laid her head on the table in an attempt at maintaining her dignity. She felt a large, warm hand on her shoulder. "Let's get you to a hospital, Agent Scully.

 

**

 

End Part 1

 

7 September 2005


	2. Part 2 - The Interrogation

Story Title: Taken

Chapter Title: Part 2, The Interrogation

Author: Zoë (zoe.t@att.net)

Website: http://lzl.dreamhost.com

Fandom: X-Files

Story Pairing: K/O, M/O, Sk/O, M/K

Chapter Pairing: references to K/O

Keywords: Angst, Slash

Rating: NC-17 for m/m sex, language and adult situations

Warning: There are some character recollections of violence and torture later in the series.

Spoilers: Canon through Duane Barry, then I diverge, but there are some parallel references to episodes up through Requiem.

Summary: Krycek takes a different path after the events of Sleepless, but it leads to disaster.

Beta Thanks: Louise Wu

Special Thanks: Louise Wu, my amazing technical advisor on law enforcement. Without her help Part 2 couldn't have been written.

Dedication: To Ursula, with love and thanks.

 

Disclaimer: Alex Krycek, Fox Mulder, Walter Skinner, Dana Scully and all other X-Files characters belong to Chris Carter and 1013 Productions. No infringement of rights is intended. Jaden MacKay is mine, mine, mine. Don't anyone mess with him.

 

 

Taken, Part 2: The Interrogation

by Zoë

 

**

 

Ten Hours Later

Wednesday, 10 August 1994

8:15 A.M.

 

The morning sunlight made the hospital room seem cheerier than either of its occupants felt. Mulder had just dropped the bomb on Scully that after an all-night manhunt, Alex Krycek was still missing. And there were no leads.

 

After a long pause, Scully offered, "I guess not finding him is better than finding him dead. At least there's a chance we *will* find him one day." She left it unsaid that eventually not knowing what happened to him would be worse than knowing he was deceased.

 

Mulder nodded, contemplating the pattern on the floor tiles.

 

Scully lifted her hand to her head, then resisted the urge to scratch her stitches. "I lay here all night thinking about a man I barely know. Yet he put everything on the line to save me." After a long silence, she decided to put the most pressing question on her mind to words. "Why, Mulder?"

 

Finally meeting her eyes, and revealing how much this situation was tormenting him, Mulder simply shrugged. "I don't know. I can guess at some of it.... he saw a crime in process and intervened. That's what we do. Why he was looking out for you? I... I really don't know." Mulder returned his gaze to the linoleum tiles. "It must have something to do with what he was trying to tell me, but I'm not able to connect the dots in any way that doesn't just raise more questions."

 

Silence reigned again, both lost in thought until their reverie was interrupted by the arrival of Walter Skinner.

 

"Agents." He acknowledged both as he crossed to the side of Scully's bed. "Scully, I'm glad to see you're doing well."

 

"Thank you, sir." She sat up straighter in the bed and pushed her hair away from her face. "Any update?"

 

Skinner just shook his head. "Nothing significant, agent. Though the lab has confirmed that all the blood in the backseat was Agent Krycek's."

 

Scully looked at her hand, blinking rapidly. She knew what that amount of blood loss meant. Without medical care, he was likely already dead.

 

She glanced at Mulder, found him still and silent, staring at the floor. His face was ashen.

 

Skinner cleared his throat, trying to break the heavy silence before telling them why he was there. "It looks like we're going to need Agent Mulder's assistance with the investigation."

 

"It's about time," Mulder whispered to the floor, before meeting Skinner's gaze. "What's going on?"

 

"With one exception, it would seem that you're the only person we have who knows much of anything about Alex Krycek. And the investigative lead needs to know whatever you can tell him."

 

Mulder weighed that cryptic response for several long moments. "*I* don't actually know him all that well. We've only been partners for a short time. What about his family? And who's the other person?"

 

Skinner made a stay gesture to stem the flow of Mulder's questions. "I'll get to that. As for his family. Father deceased more than 15 years. Mother is some kind of wildlife expert, older sister is a wildlife photographer. Both are apparently in Africa together shooting a documentary on giraffes. We haven't been able to get in touch with them as yet. Extended family is so spread out, not only are they slow to find, it's unlikely they'll have anything useful to offer. We're trying to run down any close childhood friends, but it seems the family moved frequently related to parents' work. He never mentioned any of this to you?"

 

Mulder rubbed his temples. "Not really. He mentioned in passing that they moved around a lot when he was a kid. I thought he said something about his dad being a veterinarian. I only remember that because it didn't seem like the kind of job that takes a man on the road. I thought maybe he'd been exaggerating."

 

"Father was a vet, specializing in large cats."

 

"I assume you don't mean overweight Maine Coons?" Scully asked wearily.

 

Skinner smiled grimly. "At the time of his death he was the world's foremost expert on Siberian tigers. Family spent time in Russia when Krycek was young, which is where he learned the language, which is one of the reasons he was placed at HQ straight out of the Academy. That and he was second in his class. None of this is familiar to you?"

 

"Nope." Mulder blinked at the news that Krycek placed so highly at Quantico. Another piece of data to show how little he knew about his partner.

 

"Okay, so you don't know much about his past. What about his present?"

 

"Meaning?"

 

"Did he ever talk about friends, activities... relationships?"

 

The slight change in Skinner's tone enabled Mulder to put of the pieces together. "Is that who you've got? Krycek's girlfriend?"

 

Skinner blinked at Mulder having put it together. "No. We found a man at Krycek's apartment. He claims to be the boyfriend."

 

"Boyfriend?" Mulder and Scully chime in unison.

 

"I take it he didn't mention it."

 

Mulder shook his head absently, lost in thought.

 

Skinner and Scully watched Mulder for several minutes, but he seemed completely unaware of them. Finally Skinner cleared his throat to get Mulder's attention. "We've had this kid in the box for several hours. My hunch is that he's telling the truth, but I'd like you to accompany me back to HQ and observe... let us know what you think."

 

Nodding, Mulder got to his feet. He laid a hand on Scully's arm. "You gonna be okay?"

 

"Yeah," She offered with a tight smile. "Please let me know what happens."

 

Forty minutes later, Mulder watched an attractive young man from behind a two-way mirror. Skinner stood next to him, arms crossed over his chest, eyes intently focused on the same person.

 

The man had a lean build and short black hair. And that's about all Mulder could distinguish while he had his head resting on his fisted hands. He wore jeans and a close-fitting white and grey striped button-up shirt, left untucked. His height was around 5'10".

 

"Look," the man, purportedly named Jaden, lifted his head revealing deep blue eyes ringed by red blood vessels, "I'm not answering one more question until you tell me what happened to Alex."

 

"Why do you think something happened to Agent Krycek?" The agent in charge's tone held the faintest hint of contempt and a whole lot of accusation.

 

Mulder's brows drew together in disapproval at the baiting way Agent Edwards was treating the kid. Though he knew exactly the reason why.

 

"Oh for fuck's sake," Jaden exploded, launching himself back from the table and kicking over the chair. "Alex is an agent, you're all agents, and you keep asking me if I know where he is. Obviously something happened to him. I'm worried and scared and you're grilling me like a suspect. And I'm not telling you one more thing!" Jaden banged his fist against the nearest object, which happened to be the two-way mirror. He rested his forehead head against the surface, seeming to deflate all at once.

 

Curious, Mulder stepped closer to the window, barely a few inches separated him from what seemed to be their only link to Alex Krycek. The man's impossibly deep blue eyes slipped shut as tears began to escape. His lips formed a word... Alex.

 

Mulder glanced at Skinner and shook his head, indicating that his gut reaction was that the kid wasn't a real suspect.

 

Skinner nodded and turned to exit the viewing room. His gut said the same thing. Still, he wasn't betting his agent's life on his hunch.

 

He was halted by Mulder's next words. "Sir, Edwards wasn't the right choice for this interrogation."

 

Pushing down annoyance at having his orders questioned--again--Skinner turned back. "Why is that Agent Mulder?"

 

"Edwards is a homophobe."

 

Skinner's brows snapped together in a frown. "How do you know that?"

 

"Everyone knows. He doesn't really make much attempt to hide it."

 

"Fuck." Skinner rotated on his heel and left.

 

Mulder resumed his study of Alex Krycek's lover.

 

Only a few seconds passed before A.D. Skinner entered the interrogation room and dismissed Edwards.

 

The man Mulder was contemplating pushed himself away from the mirror and turned around.

 

Skinner held a hand out to Jaden. "I'm Assistant Director Walter Skinner."

 

Cautiously, Jaden accepted Walter's handshake. "I know your name. Alex has mentioned you a few times."

 

"Why don't you take a seat? Can we get you some coffee or anything?"

 

Jaden contemplated the new arrival with some suspicion before reluctantly replying, "Some water would be very appreciated."

 

The water dispenser right outside the interrogation room made it a simple matter for Skinner to take care of it himself. Once he had his subject seated, he sat opposite and opened the file. Edwards' apparent personal issues necessitated an impartial review of the interview notes. Jaden immediately picked up that the questions were starting again and, at his scowl, Walter neutrally offered, "Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. MacKay. This must be very difficult for you."

 

"Difficult?" Jaden asked incredulously. "*Difficult*! No. *Difficult* is finals week. *Difficult* is D.C. traffic on a Monday night. This," he gestured vaguely at the room, "is *hell*. My lover is missing. Though no one will tell me why or how or even for how long. I have no idea what's happened. And the only reason I sit here and put up with this *bullshit* is because of the slight hope that someone will tell me the fuck is going on!" His hands curled into fists and he struggled to control his breathing.

 

Skinner folded his hands over the file and met Jaden's angry glare unwaveringly. "Okay. We've determined that Agent Krycek attempted to intervene in the kidnapping of another agent on Monday night. Both agents were abducted. Because of Agent Krycek's bravery, the other agent was able to escape and we were able to apprehend the kidnapping suspect. However, Agent Krycek was taken by another, as yet unidentified subject or subjects. Neither of them has been found."

 

Jaden dropped his head in his hands. "Oh my god."

 

Skinner looked away for a moment, his instincts told him this young man's grief was genuine, but he had to make sure.

 

An angry voice brought his attention back. "What are you doing to find him?"

 

"We've completed a thorough search of his last known location. We're interviewing people who knew the suspect. We're evaluating physical evidence taken from several locations. And, we're speaking with people like you, who knew Agent Krycek. I assure you that I'm putting the full resources of the Bureau into the investigation."

 

"Why are you talking to me? Why aren't you talking to the people who took him?"

 

"The man who abducted him died at the scene."

 

Jaden frowned. "Man? *One* man?"

 

"Yes."

 

"How did one man manage to abduct *two* FBI agents?"

 

Skinner hesitated, not knowing how to tell this innocent-looking young man that his lover was likely dead.

 

"What aren't you telling me?"

 

"Agent Krycek was shot trying to stop the kidnapping."

 

"Shot?" Jaden's voice dropped to a horrified whisper. "Where?"

 

"We believe he was shot in the abdomen."

 

Mulder felt like he'd been punched in the gut when Jaden's eyes filled with tears. Working with the X-Files, this wasn't something he had to deal with often. Or perhaps it was simply that he didn't usually feel this oppressive guilt when other victims cried.

 

Jaden looked completely lost. "Why? I don't understand. Why did the kidnapper even take him?"

 

"We don't know yet."

 

"Well, why was this other agent a target?"

 

"We're still trying to find out."

 

"Have you heard from whoever has Alex? Ransom demands?"

 

"We haven't heard anything as yet. But we're trying to be hopeful."

 

Fury swept over the delicate features of the man who was, Mulder completely believed, Alex Krycek's boyfriend. "Well, *I* don't have him. I wish I did. I wish he were home, safe in bed. But he's not. And every minute you waste talking to me is a minute you're not looking for him. I'm not some great super-cop, but I do know that if Alex wasn't the target, looking at his life isn't going to tell you where he is. You look at the life of this other agent. You go talk to his wife or girlfriend or mother or whoever and find out why they wanted *him*."

 

Skinner released a heavy breath. "We have some reason to believe that Agent Krycek may have had loyalties to someone outside the Bureau. And that this other... connection may have had something to do with his kidnapping and that of the other agent." He paused to let the young man take in the information. "Perhaps you can shed some light on this question?"

 

Jaden shook his head in bemusement. "Alex? I can't imagine that. Alex doesn't have any loyalty that would supercede the Bureau. He hides it from most people, but he's such an idealist... he really believes in what he's doing." He rubbed his hand over his face, whispering to himself, "How are you going to find him when you don't know a damn thing about him?"

 

Though the question wasn't actually directed at him, Skinner decided to answer it anyway. "Perhaps that's something you can help us with?"

 

Looking tired and hopeless, Jaden gestured for Skinner to continue his questions.

 

Skinner decided it was time to test the kid. "I'm going to list some names. I'd like you to tell me if any of them are familiar to you." At Jaden's nod, Skinner began with, "Reese Donovan." The first name was a ruse... a random agent's name. Skinner watched Jaden closely as he continued the list of names. Even a slight reaction could be telling. "Dana Scully." Nothing. "Duane Barry... Karl Reagan."

 

Jaden's brows shot up. "Isn't that the Director?"

 

Skinner kept his expression neutral. "Yes."

 

"What does he have to do with it?"

 

"Nothing."

 

"Ah." Jaden frowned and then glared as he comprehended the game Skinner was playing with him. "Any more?"

 

From his isolated location, Mulder wished he could tell Skinner to try some of Alex's recent cases.

 

As if on cue, Skinner asked, "Saul Grissom."

 

Jaden just shrugged his shoulders.

 

"Augustus Cole."

 

"Um... Alex mumbled the name Cole in his sleep one night. I don't know if it's the same guy or not."

 

"And when was this?"

 

"It was two weekends ago. Alex had been really stressed out about work and he'd been having a hard time sleeping, so I didn't think anything about it."

 

"Do you know why he was stressed about work?" Skinner already knew the answer.

 

And Jaden saw right through the question. "You already know Alex was involved in a shoot that had him on administrative leave for five days. And that's all I know about it. Alex doesn't want me to know about his work. He thinks I'll worry. Like I don't worry anyway." He sighed heavily. "Can we finish the name game, please?"

 

Skinner rattled off several more names that elicited no response. He decided to break out the big guns. "Carlyle Spender."

 

Jaden's brows snapped into a frown. "Spender?"

 

Mulder pressed a hand against the glass, wishing he could break through. Who was this Spender guy that Skinner's body language changed to subtly defensive *and* it bothered Jaden, too?

 

"You've heard the name?" Skinner prompted.

 

"Once. You know, I'm not so sure I should be telling you any of this." Jaden looked uncomfortable, as if he were worried about betraying Alex in some way.

 

"We have to look at everything. The smallest detail is sometimes what cracks a case like this. So, please... Spender?"

 

Jaden sighed. "Fine. Alex got a call on his cell one night-" 

 

"Can you be more specific about which night?"

 

"July 28th." At Skinner's raised brow, Jaden added, "Yeah... the day after that shooting thing at work."

 

"And?"

 

"Alex's cell rang... he got really tense, so I paid attention. He said something like, 'yeah, I got it.' Then he looked upset at something. He was prowling the room like a caged tiger." Skinner carefully watched the drift of Jaden's eyes as he recounted his memories. "He kept talking about 'there's stuff you're keeping from me,' and 'I don't believe you anymore.' It was so weird. Afterward, I tried to get him to talk to me about it, but he said it was just work shit and then he distracted me and I forgot about it 'til you mentioned that name."

 

"That's all you remember?"

 

"Yeah."

 

"How did you know the name?"

 

"Oh, when he answered the phone, he started the call with, 'What now, Spender?'"

 

Skinner nodded. A change of subject was vital before it occurred to Jaden to ask any questions he couldn't possibly answer. He pulled a piece of paper from the file on the table. "I need to confirm some of the information you've provided us."

 

"Fine," Jaden assented with little affect.

 

"It says here you live in Baltimore. That correct?"

 

"Yes," he replied with the sudden exasperation of a man asked the same question many times. "As I told several of you previously, I'm attending Johns Hopkins, doing graduate work in biophysics. Shall I give you my address, professors' names and GPA again?"

 

"I know it's difficult to be asked the same questions over again. This may not be the last time you're asked. Please understand that we need your help and going over this information does aid the investigation."

 

Jaden closed his eyes, but nodded for him to continue.

 

"Agent Edwards found you in Agent Krycek's apartment in Alexandria?"

 

"I have his key." Irritation now showed clearly on Jaden's face. The man probably couldn't hide an emotion if his life depended on it, Mulder mused. "He also has mine."

 

"So, you live about an hour apart. How often do you see each other?"

 

"Uh, as much as we can. He usually spends Friday and Saturday night with me. I don't have class on Tuesday, so I come down to see him on Monday night and Tuesday." With an expression of aggravation, he leaned forward and added, "I usually head back to Baltimore early on Wednesday, right after we have sex."

 

Skinner ignored the comment. "You said you usually spend the weekend with him. Any changes recently?"

 

Jaden looked at the table, any semblance of anger gone. "We went spelunking in West Virginia two weekends ago. I dragged him there to get his mind off the BS at work while waiting for the outcome of whatever internal review they--*you*--had to do about the shooting. During the week, I was working on my thesis and couldn't break away. Last weekend he said he couldn't see me... something about work, but he wouldn't say much. He was really distracted. I was supposed to see him as usual on Monday night, but he never came home. I figured he was working on a case, so I stayed, tried to reach him on his cell, hoped to see him Tuesday... yesterday." A shuddering breath gave away his distress. "He never came home, never answered the phone. Then your people busted in and..." He wiped irritatedly at his face, then flashed a meaningful look at Skinner. "I've been in this shit hole since."

 

Skinner gave the stern version of a sympathetic glance, pausing briefly before his next question.

"Other than what you've already told me, has Krycek, *Alex*, mentioned anything to you about his work in the last few weeks?"

 

That was apparently a new question as Jaden looked contemplative for several seconds. "Alex doesn't talk about work much, though I know he loves it." Lips quirked up at some memory. "He was so happy when he was assigned to HQ after the Academy. So was I. We were convinced that he was going to get assigned to Phoenix or something and we'd have to deal with occasional weekends until I graduated." Shaking off his private ruminations, Jaden continued. "He just doesn't talk about work. Although..." his brows drew together in apparent concentration. "He's been really moody about work since he got this new partner. Fox, uh... Moron... Murder... Moldy... I don't know. Some M-name. The first name stuck with me, though. I'm sure you know who it is."

 

Skinner nodded, refusing to smile at Jaden's verbal gymnastics. Mulder wished he were in the room to glare at Jaden in person.

 

"Alex was moody how," Skinner prompted.

 

"I... I don't know. It was like something was bothering him, but he wouldn't talk about it. Is that Fox guy the person who was abducted with Alex?"

 

"No."

 

Jaden frowned. "Then where the hell was he? Why was Alex working without his partner?"

 

"That's part of what we're trying to understand."

 

Jaden shook his head in frustration, clearly upset by his perception of Bureau personnel ineptitude.

 

Skinner took the opportunity to change the subject. "According the notes from the team who searched Agent Krycek's apartment, they didn't find much evidence of your relationship other than some men's clothing that would be too small to fit Krycek." Skinner left off that some of the sexual paraphernalia they found likely confirmed Krycek was gay. The items weren't specific in any way to Jaden MacKay.

 

The owner of said clothing bristled at the implication that he wasn't Alex's boyfriend. Then he just felt defeated. "It's just bad fucking timing."

 

"Meaning?"

 

"He usually has a picture of us on his bedroom wall. And there's a photo album that's usually kept on the bookcase in the office. Both are at my place. He keeps several pictures of me in his wallet, too."

 

"Why are the photos at your residence?"

 

"I'm the sentimental one in our relationship... I wanted to put pictures from our trip to the caves in. And I wanted to update the wall photo. The one there was from when we met three years ago."

 

"I do need to advise you that though you denied our request to search your residence, we were able to obtain a warrant."

 

Jaden just dropped his head. "I think I hate you people." He looked back up at Skinner, his eyes bright with tears. "Don't take my pictures of him... please."

 

The team had to see those photos. But provided there was nothing probative, the Bureau would have no reason to keep them. Skinner opted for an oblique nod. "Does Alex smoke?"

 

Blinking in surprise, Jaden could only manage, "What?"

 

"The team didn't find any signs of smoking paraphernalia at Alex's apartment, but they did find a cigarette butt in his car."

 

Mulder tensed at that. Alex already admitted being in contact with the Smoker. Still, he'd give anything to know the brand of cigarettes.

 

"Alex doesn't smoke. He hates cigarettes. I smoked occasionally when we first met, but he would never..." Jaden trailed off, flushing a bit.

 

"Never what?"

 

"He wouldn't kiss me if I tasted like cigarettes. So I dropped the habit. Quickly." He stared off into space, mumbling, "I can't imagine him letting someone smoke in his car."

 

"What about his friends?"

 

"Alex knows a lot of people but he hasn't got many friends... he moved too much growing up. He had some buddies at the Academy, but they've been assigned all over the country. I don't think they talk much anymore."

 

"Can you think of any of their names?"

 

Jaden managed to come up with four names. Skinner made notes for his team to follow up on. Two of the men were in Los Angeles, one in Florida and the fourth assigned to London. It was likely a dead end, but it had to be checked.

 

From his quiet observation room, Mulder watched as Skinner conducted the interview. He often asked questions at the same time Mulder thought of them himself. Skinner asked about an address book or date book. Only on Alex's computer, apparently. Mulder knew the lab was already going over it. From the notes he'd read, they hadn't cracked Krycek's passwords yet. Skinner asked about passwords. Jaden claimed to not know them.

 

Skinner asked if Jaden had observed anything odd or out of place at Krycek's apartment while he waited there for over a day. No.

 

Pausing for a moment, Skinner perused his notes. "What can you tell me about his family?"

 

"Oh come on... I gave *all* of this to-oh, fuck it. Whatever. Beth, his mother, and Linda, his sister, are both in Africa shooting a documentary. They contact Alex through very sporadic emails via Beth's Johns Hopkins University mail account. I don't know how to get in touch with them other than the email addresses I've already provided. You can probably do better in that area than *I* can."

 

"Johns Hopkins?" Skinner queried at the coincidence.

 

Jaden rubbed his temple. "Beth Krycek teaches biology classes intermittently at JH. That's how I met Alex three years ago... we bumped into each other as he was leaving one of the science buildings. He'd stopped in to see his mother."

 

"Have you met his family?"

 

"Of course," Jaden snapped. "They're gone. A lot. But whenever they come home, Alex and I see them. You want particulars about that? Do you care that Linda and I get along great, but Beth thinks I'm trying to tie her son down? Do you give a shit that Alex's mother doesn't get that he didn't like being dragged all over the world... that he wants to stay in one place for a while? What else could you possibly want to know? Linda's a redhead. How 'bout that? Some freak recessive gene."

 

Skinner made a stay gesture to stem the family details. "We're almost done. Okay? Just a couple more questions."

 

"Whatever."

 

"What about other family members we should talk to?"

 

"His father is dead. No uncles or aunts through his mother, but four uncles through his father. However, Beth cut contact with them after Andrei died. Alex has zero contact with them. His paternal grandparents are deceased. His maternal grandparents are in New Mexico, retired and approaching serious senility. What else can I tell you?"

 

Skinner just nodded an acknowledgement. "If Alex needed to get away in a hurry, who would he turn to?"

 

"Me!"

 

"Besides you."

 

"Linda. That satisfy you? He's pretty tight with his sister. But she's thousands of miles away." Jaden leaned forward, placing both hands flat on the table. "If Alex were in trouble, he'd come to me."

 

"Did he?"

 

"NO!" Jaden pushed back away from the table, arms crossed over his chest. "Are you being deliberately obtuse?"

 

Skinner met his glare head-on but didn't reply. Eventually, he asked. "Can you tell me about the last time you saw Alex?"

 

Mulder watched the kid totally fold in on himself. He felt a twinge of sympathy, but pushed it away. Sympathy clouds your judgment.

 

"It was nearly 11 at night on Sunday the 31st. I was leaving to head back to Baltimore. Alex was happy and relaxed... he loved the caves we'd explored that weekend. It helped shake him out of whatever funk he'd slipped into after the problem at work the week prior. We talked about the coming week... he and I agreed that we'd skip our mid-week visit so I could study and he wanted to spend some extra time at work." Jaden was finally smiling... lost in his memories. "All the way to my car, he griped about me taking the framed picture of us ... I told him to learn to live with a wallet size for a couple weeks. He kissed me goodbye, said, 'love ya, Jade,' just like he always does." His attention was now fixed on his lap, the tears dripping onto his crossed arms. "Then I went home." Eyes filled with sadness finally met Skinner's penetrating gaze. "That was ten days ago. I haven't seen him since."

 

Skinner was finding it difficult to continue to push this young man. It was clear the only thing Jaden MacKay could offer the FBI was insight into Alex Krycek. He reorganized his thoughts. "And the last time you spoke to him."

 

Jaden wiped the back of his hand across his face and took a deep breath. "Monday morning... two days ago. I called to confirm things for our visit... he sounded distracted. I figured he was busy. He just said, 'yeah, I'll see ya tonight, babe.' That was it."

 

"Is there anything you can think of that might help us locate Agent Krycek?"

 

"Yeah... do your jobs and find out why the *other* agent was kidnapped."

 

Instead of replying to the barb, Skinner reached into his pocket, extracting a card. He leaned across the table, handing it to Jaden, who cautiously accepted it. "Here's my card. If you think of anything, please call me. Night or day."

 

Mulder blinked at that, but then it made sense. He couldn't very well have the kid call Edwards, and Skinner probably had to sort out some personnel issues on the team before he could assign someone else. Besides, Kimberly could screen anything.

 

"Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. MacKay. I promise you, we'll do whatever we can to find him." Skinner rose to his feet, whishing he could reassure the young man slumped at the table that they were going to find his lover. But he didn't have that confidence. "I'm sending for Agent Donovan to drive you home-"

 

Jaden interrupted. "I'm going back to Alex's."

 

Skinner shook his head. "His apartment is temporarily sealed. That probably won't be for very long, but in an investigation like this, we search *very* thoroughly." He paused waiting for signs of comprehension. When Jaden seemed to have absorbed that Krycek's apartment was a disaster area, Skinner added, "I'm sure it will be upsetting for you."

 

Jaden shook his head. "Please call me when you're done with it. Someone has to clean up... I'm not going to have Alex come home to a huge mess."

 

Dissuading the kid seemed unlikely, so Skinner just accepted the terms with a short nod.

 

"Agent Donovan will make sure you get home safely."

 

When Jaden looked up at him, Skinner realized just how tired the young man really was. "Does this guy hate fags as much as the other one?" Jaden asked without ire.

 

"I assure you that Agent Donovan will treat you with the respect you deserve, or he'll have to answer to me. As will Agent Edwards. We don't tolerate bigotry at the Bureau."

 

Jaden's expression shifted to something less defensive when he saw that Skinner wasn't making any attempt at denying that his agent might have been inappropriate. Getting to his feet, he shook Skinner's hand. "Thank you." He started toward the door, then looked back over his shoulder. "Alex is a good man, Mr. Skinner. And he loves me. Whatever negative thoughts you're entertaining about him are just wrong."

 

At Skinner's lack of response, Jaden sighed and exited the interrogation room. Skinner followed to arrange for his ride home.

 

Mulder paced around the observation room while he waited for Skinner to return. The chances of the A.D. letting him any further into this investigation were nil. His involvement seemed doomed to be limited to profiling Jaden MacKay.

 

A few minutes later, Skinner returned. He leaned against the wall and watched Mulder pace. "Well?"

 

Mulder ceased his orbit. "I believe him. At least, I believe he believes what he's saying."

 

Skinner nodded. "Did you hear anything that contradicts what you know to be true?"

 

"No. I-" Mulder broke off, having to push guilt away again. But there was more this time... a profound sense of loss he didn't know what to do with. "I wish I could tell you more about Krycek, but I just don't know."

 

"You said Jaden believes what he's saying. What do you think we're not hearing?"

 

"I don't know. Maybe nothing. But two people in the same relationship can have different perspectives on it. He may *think* he's important to Alex Krycek, doesn't mean he actually is." For some reason he didn't want to look closely at, Mulder didn't want Jaden MacKay to be important to Alex Krycek.

 

Skinner frowned. "Well, he's our only insight into Krycek's life or his movements. If there's a chance we're barking up a dead tree, I want to know."

 

Mulder didn't realize he'd been holding his breath, but he let it out slowly and tried to fake ambivalence for his next request. "I can tell you, but I need to see that photo album."

 

With a rueful shake of his head, Skinner replied, "I knew that was coming." He stepped close to Mulder, completely invading his space. "Okay, Mulder. I'll let you proceed with one condition; your involvement on this case begins and ends with your assessment of Jaden MacKay. Nothing further, Mulder. I'm dead serious about this. If I find that you've questioned even one witness, or are harassing the SAC, I'll suspend you. Indefinitely."

 

Mulder nodded.

 

But that wasn't enough for Skinner. "You understand me, Agent Mulder?"

 

"Yes, sir!" Mulder desperately didn't want to agree, but he knew if he didn't this meeting would be his last involvement in this case.

 

Skinner contemplated Mulder for several seconds. When he was satisfied with what he saw, he turned away and headed for the door, calling back. "As soon as the lab is finished with it, I'll have it delivered to you. I want a report before end of business today."

 

When the door was closed and he was once again alone, Mulder sat heavily in a nearby chair. His knees seemed to have turned insubstantial and he his stomach was tied in knots. As much as he wanted to see the photo album, he dreaded it with the same intensity.

 

Then he felt like kicking himself. He'd forgotten the one question that was burning him up... Who the fuck was Carlyle Spender?

 

**

 

End Part 2

 

8 September 2005


	3. Part 3 - Insight

Story Title: Taken

Chapter Title: Part 3, Insight

Author: Zoë (zoe.t@att.net)

Website: http://lzl.dreamhost.com

Fandom: X-Files

Story Pairing: K/O, M/O, Sk/O, M/K (M/K is ultimately the main pairing)

Chapter Pairing: references to K/O

Keywords: Angst, Slash, Mulder, Krycek

Rating: NC-17 for m/m sex, language and adult situations (though not in this part)

Warning: There are some character recollections of violence and torture later in the series.

Spoilers: Canon through Duane Barry, then I diverge, but there are some parallel references to episodes up through Requiem.

Summary: Mulder finally gets a look into Alex Krycek’s real life.

Beta Thanks: Lorelei

Dedication: This entire story is dedicated to Ursula.

 

Disclaimer: Alex Krycek, Fox Mulder, Walter Skinner, Dana Scully and all other X-Files characters belong to Chris Carter and 1013 Productions. No infringement of rights is intended. Jaden MacKay is mine, mine, mine. Don't anyone mess with him.

 

 

Taken, Part 3: Insight

by Zoë

 

**

 

One Hour Later

Wednesday, 10 August 1994

11:30 A.M.

 

Mulder fidgeted around at his desk waiting for the delivery from the lab. There were other things he should be doing, but nothing he felt he *could* do. All his focus was on what was to come. He'd started the wait by pacing around his desk, but it seemed to annoy the two other agents working in the area. So he settled for drumming his fingers on a case file he should have been looking at.

 

He wasn't sure why he needed to see the pictures so badly. Maybe to get some insight into Alex Krycek? Maybe the vain hope that they would somehow explain this fiasco? Perhaps give him some insight into why he felt so damned hopeless and despondent.

 

Mulder wrestled with his conflicting feelings, There was another Alex Krycek out there--beyond the over-eager junior agent he knew. Mulder was dying to get a glimpse into *that* man--into his world.

 

He knew he should call Scully and let her know what was going on. Tell her about Jaden MacKay. But he decided not to. He'd tell her everything later. *After*.

 

Mulder was so wrapped up in his ruminations he gave a start of surprise when the lab tech finally showed with a stack of stuff. The stack was much larger than Mulder had expected. A thick folder on top of a large black book on top of a flat box. He looked to the tech for explanation and was told Skinner wanted him to review the photos of Krycek's apartment. To see if anything jumped out.

 

Nodding an acknowledgement and desperately wanting privacy, Mulder waved the lab tech away.

 

He gnawed on his lip while grabbing the large folder sitting on top of the heap. He'd look at the FBI photographs first.

 

Mulder spread the photos out on his desk. He was finally about to get his first real look into Alex Krycek's life.

 

There was nothing remarkable about the apartment itself. It was an average, modern two-bedroom unit with white walls. There was nothing particularly telling about it, or its furnishings, which were functional and fairly unimaginative. Most of the photos showed all the closets and drawers open, carelessly exposing Krycek's life to the view of the forensic team. Mulder felt a brief twinge of discomfort at the invasion of Krycek's privacy, but quickly pushed it aside as he closely studied the pictures.

 

What was distinctive was the sheer amount of gear related to sporting activities. Closets were stuffed full of snow gear, dive gear, surf boards, climbing equipment. It went on and on. Some items required close inspection to figure out what they were. There were single items like an inflatable boat, and paired items like surfboards and snowboards. Mulder was fairly certain the two black, pack-like objects in the corner of the dining room were actually parachutes.

 

He pulled out more detailed photos of some of the gear and noted the first discrepancy in the investigator's report. There was evidence out in the open of Jaden's status in Alex's life. Side-by-side he laid down the photos of the two surfboards, the snowboards and the two kayaks leaning against a wall in the office. The color theme made them jump out. In each set, one was a solid green, the other was swirls of blue, like water. The colors were the exact shade of each man's eyes. Stenciled in black on each was a letter. The three green objects had the letter 'A.' The three blue objects had the letter 'J.' The surfboards were fairly new-looking, but the snowboards and kayaks had signs of heavy use.

 

All of the gear was obviously meticulously cared for and stored, yet the sheer scale of it dominated the apartment. With one exception. A pile of what appeared to be climbing gear was next to the couch. It must have been used for the spelunking during the weekend in West Virginia. Another mark in favor of Jaden having told the truth. That it was left in disarray, considering how neat the rest was, seemed a testament to the stress Krycek had been under.

 

Mulder made notes of several questions; why hadn't Jaden taken care of the gear during his time waiting for Alex? How did Krycek afford all the gear and the trips to *use* said gear?

 

Alex Krycek was clearly an extreme sports nut. Or was that Jaden's influence? The diagnosis 'high adventure personality' drifted through Mulder's brain and he made a note. If it were accurate, Krycek would function well under stress. In fact, he probably sought stressful situations.

 

Mulder set aside the pictures of sporting gear and moved on to pictures of the bedroom. This was clearly an important room to Krycek as it was the only room with any attention to décor. The king-size bed dominated the room. Black sheets and bedding jumped out as a distinctive choice considering how bland the rest of the apartment was. The heavy iron headboard and footboard showed some distinctive wear marks at certain points. Mulder realized they were likely where restraints were attached. He found himself wondering who got tied up, but decided not to make a note of that question.

 

Unbidden, the image flashed in his mind of Alex's naked body against those black sheets. His pale skin gleaming with sweat, handcuffs encasing strong wrists, body writhing at some sexual torment. He shoved the thought away. It was *not* relevant. Besides, he was fairly certain the cuffs went on Jaden, not the other way around. Not that *that* image didn't have a certain appeal. No! He took several deep breaths and made himself focus on the case.

 

Mulder's brows climbed in surprise at the actual presence of a huge mirror on the ceiling, not to mention both walls by the bed. Who liked to watch? Krycek or his boyfriend? Mulder did make a note of that. There was a huge black chest at the foot of the bed. Detail pictures revealed it to be full of sex toys and related paraphernalia. Mulder felt a flutter in his stomach but quickly pushed any thoughts about it away, he wasn't going to let his mind wander down any more unnecessary paths. He set those particular photos aside, clipped together with a recommendation that they be excluded from the official case file. They weren't relevant.

 

Pictures of the bedroom closet easily revealed which clothes belonged to Jaden. Aside from detail photos showing them being notably smaller, they were more colorful and trendy. Aside from several nearly-identical suits, Krycek's clothes seemed to mostly be jeans and monochromatic shirts.

 

Mulder made notes about the bedroom being the focal point of the house, and that clearly sex was significant to Krycek. Based on the information provided by Jaden during the interview, he only spent two nights a week at Krycek's place. Was there anything to support the possibility that Krycek had other lovers? In an average week, Krycek also spent two nights a week in Baltimore with Jaden. That left three nights for other possible guests.

 

Something was tickling at Mulder's subconscious and he went looking for one of the living room photos. He made another note for the team. The large oil painting in the living room was likely to belong to, or have been purchased by Jaden MacKay. It was, he supposed, possible that the painting could have come from another source. At any rate, he'd be willing to bet it wasn't Krycek who purchased it.

 

Mulder looked closely at the painting again. The colors were all Jaden, and Mulder was nearly certain he was the source. Abstract whorls of blue, purple, pink, red and white with strong black block outs. The apartment led him to the conclusion that Jaden MacKay was the color in Alex Krycek's life. Mulder realized he was obsessing on an irrelevant piece of information and mentally shook himself. He admitted that he hadn't wanted to find evidence of Jaden in Krycek's life. But he didn't want to examine that thought any further.

 

Feeling a sense of frustration, he set aside the FBI pictures of the apartment and reached for the heavy black photo album. The first thing he found inside were two envelopes from a local photo lab. Probably the most recent ones taken in West Virginia. He set them aside and focused his attention on the large black pages, making notes of his first impressions. It was clear that a lot of care had gone into creating the album. Each page was laid out separately, photo corners carefully placed and varying in number depending upon the subject matter. Unfortunately, the photos themselves had been haphazardly stuck into their places. Mulder assumed it was the result of the lab's examination.

 

He concentrated on the individual photos instead of overall impression, but the very first picture made his breath catch in his throat. The page contained nothing but an enlarged single photo of Jaden and Alex. Underneath it said, 'Alex & Jade. Our Second Date,' in some kind of silver calligraphy. If Mulder had to guess, he'd assume the picture was taken at some kind of nightclub, its subjects sitting on a white couch framed in neon. What took his breath away was Alex. He was gorgeous. Eyes bright, hair disheveled, lips wet and swollen. He was shirtless in jeans, with Jade--wearing black leather pants and a tight red shirt--half draped over his lap. Their arms were around each other and they looked so fucking happy.

 

Biting his lip again, Mulder hesitated and reluctantly turned the page, but relaxed when he saw that the next section contained older photos. They all were clearly of Alex. Those bottomless green eyes were too distinctive to be anyone else. They ranged from baby pictures to high school graduation. The progression of Alex Krycek's life. There was one particular photo that caught Mulder's attention. It was of a young Alex, maybe four, holding a tiger cub. A man--presumably his father--knelt near the edge of the frame, smiling at his son. Mulder had a sudden, irresistible desire to keep the photo.

 

A few of the childhood pictures featured a redheaded girl, maybe four years older than Alex. Presumably the sister; Linda Krycek. Their body language indicated they had a good relationship. Mulder found that he was getting lost in the pictures and had to remind himself to take notes of the relevant data, to keep behaving like an investigator. Reminding himself that he was just an investigator helped make him feel less like a voyeur peeking into a part of his partner's life he had no right to know about.

 

There were photos of Alex's parents, too. Both had dark hair and green eyes, but Krycek's father's were more hazel, which he had passed on to his daughter. Alex's mother's eyes were the same clear, deep green as her son's.

 

Strangely, there was nothing from high school graduation to college graduation. Mulder made a note of the sudden gap in the photos. Mulder wished he had access to Krycek's bureau file, but since he wasn't officially attached to the case, he had almost no chance of seeing it. He tried to put together a timeline. He figured Krycek was about 25 now. According to the graduation picture, he graduated Carnegie Mellon, class of 1990. Jaden said they'd known each other for three years, so they met in 1991. He seemed to recall Alex saying he graduated from the Academy in 1993, so what had Alex been doing between 1990 and 1993?

 

The next turn of the page brought Mulder's tension sweeping back. Jaden was back in the photographs. The majority of them focused on places Krycek and Jaden had been together. Climbing, river rafting, snowboarding, kayaking, and even one of them jumping out of an airplane. Mulder felt a bit of satisfaction that he'd correctly guessed at the packs in the dining room.

 

There were captions under many of the pictures indicating where they'd been. Denali, Mount Baker, Vale, Baja, and it went on and on. A particularly striking one showed Krycek hanging by one hand from the edge of a steep rock surface, every muscle taut and glistening in the sun.

 

These 'adventure' photos depicted a man who was strikingly different than the Alex Krycek he knew. The man grinning into the camera from a swing suspended from a rock overhang, was relaxed and happy and clearly, Mulder admitted to himself grudgingly, in love.

 

He could track the progression of Alex's and Jaden's relationship by their increasingly more intimate body language. Photos from early in their relationship showed clear sexual intimacy, but, as time passed, it was the intimacy of two people truly at ease with one another. The kind of connection you only see between two people genuinely in love.

 

A few of the photos featured a woman with the two of them. Red hair, hazel-green eyes, and she was always wearing red lipstick. Mulder insanely--and irrelevantly--wondered if she was presently out in the bush filming giraffes with red lipstick on. She looked enough like Alex that it was impossible to mistake them for anything but siblings. Linda Krycek hugging Jaden MacKay, sitting between her brother and his lover at a club, standing together on the street. But no pictures featured Beth Krycek and Jaden MacKay together. Mulder reluctantly made another note that Jaden's story was panning out. He didn't want to think too much about his reluctance. He just knew that he hadn't wanted Jaden to be important to Alex.

 

Mulder forced his mind back to the profile. Even though some of the photos had dates, none of them showed what Krycek had been doing for nearly three years. Other than having fun with his lover. Mulder made a series of notes for his report.

 

The last few pages were blank. Mulder reached for the envelopes from the photo lab. A quick glance revealed that both of them contained photos from the spelunking trip to West Virginia. Suddenly, it hit Mulder that these photos had been taken a little more than a week before Alex's abduction. One week before he'd tried to tell Mulder something. Something Mulder may never get the chance to hear. Mulder looked down at the stack of photos in his hand. They may very well have been the last photos that would ever be taken of Alex Krycek. The thought made him feel sick.

 

Despite his earlier anticipation, he now had to force himself to go on. He flipped through them, trying for professional detachment. One of the last photos in the package made Mulder hesitate. It was a photo of Alex by himself, sitting at the edge of a cliff. He had streaks of dirt on his arms and face, his hair blowing in the breeze, smiling tenderly at the photographer. Mulder flipped the picture upside down on the desk so he didn't have to look at it anymore.

 

Hastily, Mulder stuffed the photos back into their envelopes, then confronted the last thing on his desk. A flat cardboard box. Inside he found a large black lacquered frame with random, brightly colored accents. The photo was an enlargement of one he'd just seen from the trip to West Virginia. It was of Jaden and Alex together outdoors. Neither was dirty, so Mulder surmised it was before exploring the caves. Their arms were around each other, but instead of looking into the camera, they were looking at each other. Mulder felt unaccountably depressed.

 

Without thinking too much about what he was doing, he shoved everything but the album into one of his desk drawers and locked it up. Grabbing the album, he left the building.

 

**

 

End Part 3

 

13 September 2005


	4. Part 4 - The Confession

Story Title: Taken

Chapter Title: Part 4, The Confession

Author: Zoë (zoe.t@att.net)

Website: http://lzl.dreamhost.com

Fandom: X-Files

Story Pairing: K/O, M/O, Sk/O, M/K

Chapter Pairing: references to K/O

Keywords: Angst, Slash, Mulder, Krycek

Rating: NC-17 for m/m sex, language and adult situations (though not in this part)

Warning: There are some character recollections of violence and torture later in the series.

Spoilers: Canon through Duane Barry, then I diverge, but there are some parallel references to episodes up through Requiem.

Story Summary: Krycek takes a different path after the events of Sleepless, but it leads to disaster.

Chapter Summary: Mulder reveals all to Scully.

Beta Thanks: Lorelei

Dedication: To Ursula.

 

Disclaimer: Alex Krycek, Fox Mulder, Walter Skinner, Dana Scully and all other X-Files characters belong to Chris Carter and 1013 Productions. No infringement of rights is intended. Jaden MacKay is mine, mine, mine. Don't anyone mess with him.

 

 

Taken, Part 4: The Confession

by Zoë

 

**

 

One Hour Later

D.C. General Hospital

 

Scully was asleep when Mulder entered the hospital room. He was torn between letting her sleep and the fact that he had very little time. Walking out of the Hoover Building with the photo album would be career limiting if he were caught. Though all he really cared about was that getting caught would get him tossed off this case.

 

He sat in the chair by the bed and gently touched her shoulder.

 

Her eyes popped open instantly. "Mulder! I've been wondering why I hadn't heard from you." She pushed the button to raise the head of her bed until she was sitting up. "What happened? Was-" Finally getting a good look at him, she asked, "Are you okay?"

 

"Okay?" Mulder asked bewildered.

 

"You look ill."

 

Mulder shook off her concern and dove right in. "His name is Jaden MacKay and nothing he had to say is going to help us find Krycek."

 

"You're certain he's not involved in any way? He has no idea what's going on?"

 

"I'm positive," Mulder stated emphatically. "It's a total dead end."

 

Scully watched Mulder carefully. Something was chewing him up inside. "Is Skinner really letting you work the case?"

 

"No. He's permitting me to profile the boyfriend. And that's it." Mulder absently drummed his fingers on the large black book in his lap.

 

"What's that?" Scully queried, cocking her head toward the book.

 

"Alex Krycek's photo album." He hesitated, then added, "I thought you might like to see it."

 

Scully held her breath for a moment, then slowly released it. "I would--very much--but were you supposed to bring it here?"

 

The look Mulder gave her clearly said he'd taken it without permission. Part of her wanted to tell Mulder to take it back, but her curiosity won out and she extended a hand.

 

She hovered a long time over the first picture. "I don't think I ever realized how good looking your partner was. *Is*," she corrected hastily, flashing Mulder a forced smile.

 

Mulder tried to smile in return, but it came off looking grim. He watched as Scully slowly went through the album. Eventually, at her meticulous fussing with the photos, he felt compelled to ask, "Scully, what are you doing?"

 

"Straightening the pictures," she murmured, intently focused on the task at hand. "Most of the corners aren't even inserted into their holders."

 

It had crossed Mulder's mind to do the same thing so Jaden didn't have to get back his book in shambles, but lingering over the photos had felt too painful.

 

Scully's perusal got even slower as she got to the section showing Krycek's and Jaden's adventures. Her brow furrowed. "How does he afford all this?"

 

Mulder shrugged. "One of the questions I'm putting in my report."

 

She hesitated at a picture of a fairly ardent embrace, whispering, "I feel like a voyeur." She turned to the next page. When she was finished, she closed the album with a pained sigh, trailing her fingers over the back cover. "He's dead, isn't he, Mulder?" Her eyes begged Mulder to convince her otherwise.

 

"I hope not, Scully."

 

"We drift through this job, dealing with each other every day, never seeing what's behind the façade we all create." Scully's hair was now hiding her face. "He had a whole life, Mulder. A family, someone he loved, yet he put it all on the line to save my life."

 

"Isn't that what we do?" Mulder asked, needing convincing.

 

"I guess."

 

Silence descended for several long minutes before Scully was able to bring herself to ask the question that had been plaguing her. "Mulder, will you please explain to me what happened?"

 

Frowning in confusion, Mulder, asked, "What part?"

 

"Why didn't you go to Skinner?"

 

Mulder leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and scrubbed at his face. "I fucked up, Scully. There's nothing else to say."

 

"Don't-" Scully broke off, trying to figure out what she wanted to say. "Don't obfuscate the details with your guilt. There's more to it than that. And I *need* to know."

 

"Okay, Scully." If anyone deserved the truth, it was Scully. Mulder thought back over the last few days. "When Alex left the bar Sunday night, I wasn't entirely sure I even wanted to go to Skinner. I mean, it was frustrating to hear that I was being spied on again, but he'd come clean about it. And quickly I might add."

 

Scully was suddenly very interested in contemplating the back of her hand, though she hung on every word.

 

"Having him around was sort of... I dunno. *Different*. He acted like he looked up to me. I think that's part of why I was so pissed at him. I thought it had all been a sham--his wide-eyed hero worship. And maybe it was. I don't know... may *never* know. I'm so confused." He had to pause to collect his thoughts. "Once I got past being angry with him, I realized he'd done something no one else had ever done before. He chose me. He chose to believe in me, despite the fact that it wasn't good for his career or even logical. So, I went to bed on Sunday thinking that he and I needed to talk, but that we'd probably work it out and keep being partners. I mean, in a strange way, he'd passed a huge test of honesty and trust."

 

It pained Scully that Mulder didn't think she'd believed in him. But she could also see that he might perceive the two situations differently. "You've given up on the X-Files, Mulder?"

 

"No! Definitely not. I guess in my pathetic little fantasy world, I'd get the X-Files back and life would move on."

 

"But with a new partner?"

 

"No, Scully. Not without you. I went to work Monday wondering what I'd have to do, whose ass I'd have to kiss, to get the three of us working together."

 

"You think that would have worked out?"

 

"Maybe. I think you'd've liked him. He's an odd mixture of our best traits and none of the worst. He has your pragmatism, but my..." Mulder trailed off, searching for the word.

 

"Idealism?" Scully provided softly.

 

Mulder frowned. "That's a seriously weird way of putting it, but yeah. That."

 

"And then on Monday?" Scully prompted.

 

"Alex didn't even show in the morning. I figured he was sulking. I got pissed all over again because he should have been there to deal with the fallout of his confession. But he wasn't high on my agenda for the day. I really needed you to follow-up on the Duane Barry shit, not him, so I let it go. I only saw him once and that was around lunchtime. He was headed out of the building. I called to him, but he either didn't hear me or ignored me. Then once you disappeared, I mostly pushed him out of my head."

 

"Mostly?"

 

Mulder rubbed the back of his neck, remembering a very painful morning. "Tuesday morning, you were gone. I was scared sick, and then had to face Skinner and OPR and the HRT. I really needed someone at my back, and he didn't show up. Again. I just got angrier at him. I threw myself into finding you and stopped thinking about Alex Krycek."

 

"Once I disappeared, why didn't you say something to Skinner about what Krycek told you?"

 

Mulder looked at the ceiling. "To what end, Scully? I really didn't connect the dots. Did you? Can you even now? What Alex basically told me is that someone who has influence in our chain of command was keeping an eye on me. And that they disapproved of me continuing to involve you in my cases. Then you get abducted by a violent felon. I *still* can't connect the dots. The only thing that would have come about as a result of talking to Skinner is that we might have known Krycek was missing hours earlier. It wouldn't have helped us find him. Or you."

 

Scully nodded slowly. "I just wanted to understand Mulder. You seemed so suspicious of him. I thought you must have a reason."

 

"Mostly I was angry at myself. Feeling very guilty."

 

"Why?"

 

"Because he was my partner and he was out pursuing something alone. Because I wouldn't listen to him. If I'd had his back, he might still be here. None of this would have happened to him or you."

 

"Mulder, you don't know that. No one knows why he was outside my place that night. He could have been waiting for me to get home. Maybe he wanted to talk to me about something. If he had a hunch something was going to happen to me, it's information he didn't share."

 

"He didn't get an opportunity to share! I wouldn't let him."

 

"But even if you'd listened to him, you don't know that you'd have been out there on the street with him that night! You can't keep beating yourself up based on 'what if.'"

 

"Aren't you?"

 

"Aren't I what?"

 

"I see it in your eyes, Scully. Guilt. It's written all over you. What's that about?"

 

"I left him behind!" She exploded, then felt bad for it. "Okay? I keep going over and over and over it. And the one thing I can't live with is that I left him there."

 

"Scully, if you hadn't gone for help, you'd both be gone," Mulder stated with conviction. "I couldn't live with *that*."

 

"I'm trying to deal, Mulder. But you're going to have to let me work through the guilt in my own way."

 

"Ditto, Scully," Mulder replied tiredly.

 

Scully just shook her head, staring down at the photo album in her lap. "So, are you going to tell me now why this book bothers you so much?"

 

Mulder gathered his defenses around him. "It's always hard to see the effect on the victims. Alex and Jaden were happy and-"

 

"Bullshit, Mulder."

 

"What?"

 

"I've been listening to you and watching you very closely since you arrived. Something about Krycek's relationship with Jaden MacKay upsets you. I think it hurts you, and I want to help if I can."

 

Every fiber of Mulder's being screamed denial. "Scully, it's nothing."

 

Scully searched for some reasonable explanation. "Does it bother you that Krycek's gay?"

 

"No!" Mulder stated emphatically. "That's not a problem."

 

"Mulder, please help me understand. I want to be able to help but you're shutting me out."

 

"Christ." Staring at the floor, Mulder eventually offered, "When Skinner told us this morning that Krycek had a boyfriend, I was..."

 

When Mulder didn't seem inclined to say more, Scully prompted, "Was?"

 

"I was happy," he whispered.

 

"Happy? Why?"

 

Mulder looked at her blankly, then raised a brow.

 

"Oh!" Scully's cheeks suffused with color. "I... I... really had no idea." Eventually, she felt compelled to confirm her conclusion. "You're gay, Mulder?"

 

Mulder went back to contemplating the floor. "I think it would be more accurate to say that I'm work obsessed, but when given the opportunity, I *prefer* men."

 

"How come you never told me?"

 

With a one-shouldered shrug, Mulder replied, "You never asked."

 

"Okay." Scully had to pause a moment to let the revelation sink in. "You were happy at the knowledge that you and your partner were sexually compatible?"

 

Mulder frowned. "That's an odd way of putting it, but, yeah, I guess so."

 

"Would you have slept with him?"

 

Finally meeting Scully's stare, Mulder firmly replied, "In a heartbeat."

 

"That's not very, uh, professional."

 

Mulder just flashed her a sardonic grin. "And that applies to me, how?"

 

"Oh come on, Mulder. It would have been quite a risk."

 

"Why are we talking about this? The question is academic at this point."

 

"Because he's gone?" Then Scully added more astutely, "Or because he's totally in love with his boyfriend?"

 

"Bingo, Scully."

 

"Mulder, it's just so-"

 

"Pathetic," Mulder interjected. "I don't need to hear this. I really don't. It's already been a difficult day. Because the more I find out about Alex Krycek, the more I envy Jaden MacKay." Mulder paused and looked down again. "The more I hurt for him. There's nothing I want more in the world than to get Alex Krycek back so he can return to his lover. And that hurts in its own special way. So, please don't give me any grief about this. I can't deal with it today."

 

Scully's expression was tinged with hurt and sympathy. "Mulder, I'm not trying to give you a hard time. I was just trying to understand. I'm sorry this is so hard for you."

 

"I have to get back, Scully. I have to report to Skinner."

 

Scully's brows drew together in concern. "Mulder-"

 

"Please, let's not talk about it anymore," Mulder asked softly.

 

"Okay." Scully lifted the heavy book and handed it to Mulder. "Do whatever you have to do to get those back to the boyfriend. They aren't doing the Bureau any good."

 

Mulder nodded, took the album and left the hospital.

 

**

 

End Part 4

 

13 September 2005


End file.
